Life’s Two Groups

There are two groups of people in this world. One group’s members will endure a lifetime of frustration, missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential. The other will achieve more than they ever thought possible. So, what are these groups and which of them do you belong to?

Group 1 believe that their success is purely a matter of luck. They see social media posts of people who’ve become successful in their chosen arena almost overnight, and become encouraged that their time will come too. They fail, though, to take into account the years of disappointments, rejections and failures which these people have battled through in order to finally achieve fame and fortune. They regard these people as lucky, and reason that it’s only a matter of time before Lady Luck magically showers them with everything great in life. So, they sit around and trawl the internet for the quick and easy way to success, and wonder why success eludes them.

In group 2, however, people work relentlessly, and have faith that their desired results will come over the course of time. They work as hard as they possibly can and do EVERYTHING they can to forge the life that they want. Day and night. They study, they read, they listen to podcasts, they network and do whatever it takes to get them closer to their goals. One step at a time. They have faith in their ability, and believe that their efforts will pay off, even though it may not be going accordingly to plan right now. This is the group who lead a more productive, meaningful and fulfilling existence. They live with purpose, constantly striving for improvement in their personal and professional lives and as a result, achieve greatly.

Both groups have one thing in common, and it’s that they believe in an unseen force at play. So, what separates them? Work. Relentless, hard work.

One group depends on luck. They believe that they don’t have to do much at all, other than wait. Sounds too good to be true. Do nothing, and wait to get lucky. When this doesn’t happen, they just wait longer for it. As a result their time and potential gets wasted and they lead a mediocre life. There is only one way in which blind luck will make you rich, and that is by winning the lottery. You buy the ticket, and if your numbers come up, you hit the jackpot. No effort required. For everything else, you need to be more like the other group.

The other group are more proactive. They actually set goals and get to work. These are people who understand that they are in control of their own destiny, and do whatever it takes to get them closer to their goals. To them, sitting around and just waiting for it to happen is unthinkable. They have faith and belief in their abilities, but they also have a very strong work ethic. The faith and self-belief is what supports them through the challenging times and keeps them going when things go wrong. So, while they also believe in something unseen, in their case it provides a source of strength and helps them to become resilient and bounce back from setbacks.

The good news is that, even if you’ve spent a lifetime in group 1, all is not lost. You can change at any time. All you need to do is;

Set aside some time for serious reflection. Be honest about where your strengths and weaknesses lie, and what you truly want from life.

Set goals. Once you know who you are, what you want and the resources at your disposal, set some clear goals.

Plan. So, you’ve become more self-aware and have set your goals. Now you need to clarify how you will get to these goals. What resources will you be using? What gaps in your skills or knowledge will need to be addressed? How will you achieve this?

Action. Now that you know who you are, what you want, and how you will get to it, all that is left is to put this into action. Enjoy the rollercoaster ride, but never stop learning and growing. Strive for constant improvement, and when things go wrong, learn from the mistakes and failures before picking yourself back up and trying again.

Which group are you currently in? If you are in Group 2, keep up the great work. If you find yourself in the group of dreamers, however, it’s time to get to work.